Trees Were Immediately Cut Down In
The Forests, And The Timber Brought To The Sea Shore:
And the whole fleet,
according to Polybius, was not only built, but perfectly equipped and ready
for sea, in two months from the time the trees were felled.
Of the 120
vessels of which it was composed, 100 had five benches of rowers, and 20 of
them had three benches.
There was, however, another difficulty to be overcome. It was absolutely
necessary that the men, who were to navigate and fight these ships, should
possess some knowledge of their art; but it was in vain to expect that with
the Carthaginians, so powerful and watchful at sea, the Roman ships would
be permitted to cruise safely long enough to make them practised sailors
and fighters. To obviate this difficulty, they had recourse, according to
Polybius, to a singular but tolerably effectual mode. "While some men were
employed in building the galleys, others, assembling those who were to
serve in the fleet, instructed them in the use of the oar after the
following manner: they contrived benches on the shore in the same fashion
and order as they were to be in the galleys, and placing their seamen, with
their oars, in like manner on the benches, an officer, by signs with his
hand, instructed them how to dip their oars all at the same time, and how
to recover them out of the water. By this means they became acquainted with
the management of the oar; and as soon as the vessels were built and
equipped, they spent some time in practising on the water, what they had
learnt ashore."
The necessity of possessing a fleet adequate to cope with that of the
Carthaginians became more and more apparent; for though the Romans had
obtained possession of all the inland cities in Sicily, the Carthaginians
compensated for this by having the ascendancy by sea, and in the cities on
the coast. The Roman fleet was commanded by Cornelius Scipio, who put to
sea with seventeen ships, in order to secure at Messina reception and
security for the whole fleet; but his enterprise was unfortunate; for,
being deceived by false information, he entered the port of Lipara, where
he was blockaded by the enemy, and obliged to surrender. This partial loss,
however, was soon counterbalanced by a naval victory; for the remainder of
the Roman fleet, amounting to 103 sail, being encountered by a Carthaginian
fleet under Hannibal, who despising the Romans, had advanced to the contest
with only fifty galleys, succeeded in capturing or destroying the whole of
them.
In the mean time, the senate had appointed Duilius commander of the fleet;
and his first object was to survey it accurately, and, if possible, to
improve the construction or equipment of the vessels, if they appeared
defective, either for the purpose of sailing or fighting. It seemed to him,
on examining them, that they could not be easily and quickly worked during
an engagement, being much heavier and more unwieldy than those of the
Carthaginians.
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